W154 Silver Arrow
acrylic, metallic enamel and tar on layered panel
27 x 35 inches
Jim Sweazy, 2009
$1899
Rumor has it that the first appearance of the "Silver Arrow" cars was
due to the cars being over the class maximum weight, so the mechanics
sanded the traditional Mercedes racing white off the cars overnight.
Just does not seem likely to me. I think they ran out of development
time, and in order to make the race, only had time to paint the numbers
on the cars. Either way, all the Silver Arrows are sensational. To
capture the feel of the car as if it had just finished a race, the
shadows and oil streaks on the painting are done with tar applied to
the silver metallic enamel. The Mercedes star, the numeral "1" (this is
car 16), and bright highlights are raised from the surface with
impasto. The picture plane drops into the reverse louvers on the nose
of the car, where the louvers have been cut out and backed up with
another panel.